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By Adewale Sanyaolu
Minister of Labour and Employment, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, has called on the newly elected President of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Mr. Salimon Akanni Oladiti, to consolidate on the gains recorded under the outgoing leadership of Mr. Williams Akporeha.
Dingyadi made the appeal at the weekend in a goodwill message delivered at the sixth Quadrennial Delegates Conference of NUPENG in Lagos, where Oladiti and 15 others emerged unopposed as national officers of the union for a four-year term.
Represented by the Director of Trade Union Services and Industrial Relations (TUSIR), Falonipe Amos, the minister described the relationship between NUPENG and key players across the upstream, midstream and downstream sectors as a model of industrial harmony, urging the incoming leadership to preserve the atmosphere of cooperation.
He stressed that while workers’ welfare must remain central, confrontation should never replace constructive engagement.
“The Federal Government values NUPENG’s contributions to national development.
Akporeha’s commitment to constructive dialogue while agitating for workers’ welfare is exemplary. He contributed meaningfully to industrial harmony. We urge the executive that will succeed him to take a cue from this,”Dingyadi said.
In his acceptance speech, Oladiti paid tribute to the outgoing leadership, describing its tenure as transformative, particularly in the areas of improved remuneration, institutional development and staff welfare reforms.
He pledged continuity, assuring members that the new leadership would build on existing foundations rather than disrupt them.
“Your dedication, sacrifices and steadfast leadership have laid a strong and admirable foundation upon which we shall continue to build,” Oladiti said.
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“The new leadership under my watch will not disappoint. We are committed to strengthening our union and upholding the dignity of labour.”
He also pledged collaboration with government and industry stakeholders to improve working conditions, while maintaining that the union would continue to engage “anti-union employers” through dialogue and diplomacy where necessary.
Oladiti further announced plans to establish a truth and reconciliation committee, as part of efforts to foster unity within the union and deepen engagement with past leaders and elders.
Earlier, the outgoing President, Akporeha, reflected on his tenure, highlighting key reforms including improved staff welfare, structured salary reviews, enhanced health and life insurance schemes, and the completion of the union’s new national secretariat, NUPENG Towers, commissioned in December 2024.
He said the union had moved from a demoralised workforce to a more motivated and professional structure, strengthened by recruitment, promotions and improved working conditions.
In his goodwill message, President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and also of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Mr. Festus Osifo, commended Akporeha’s leadership, describing his tenure as one that significantly strengthened unity between both unions.
According to him, cooperation between NUPENG and PENGASSAN over the last eight years had delivered notable gains in remuneration and job security across the oil and gas sector.
He also noted that recent divestments by international oil companies had not led to job losses among members of both unions.
Osifo expressed confidence in the new NUPENG leadership, assuring continued solidarity and collaboration in advancing workers’ welfare across the industry.
